A woman in her 30s, who had reported domestic violence to the police five times and received a restraining order along with a smartwatch for protection, was killed by her husband during their divorce proceedings. Authorities are investigating the possibility that the victim's new address was exposed to her husband during the exchange of legal documents.
On September 1, the Gyeonggi Gwangju Police arrested a man in his 30s, identified as A, on suspicion of murder. A is accused of stabbing his estranged wife, B, at 7:17 a.m. outside a multi-family residence in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. After fleeing the scene, A was apprehended about four hours and 20 minutes later at a motel in Suwon.
B had reported her husband's domestic violence to the police five times since March of last year. A was referred to the prosecution in May on domestic violence charges, and B subsequently lived separately in another residence in Gwangju. She began divorce proceedings last month. The court issued a temporary protection order isolating A from B's residence and prohibiting him from approaching her within 100 meters or contacting her through electronic means.
During the divorce process, B expressed concerns that her new address might have been disclosed to her husband. She requested a consultation with the police, stating, "I think my address was exposed to my husband because I did not request confidentiality during the delivery of the legal documents," and was subsequently provided with a smartwatch for safety.
At the time of the incident, B used the smartwatch to alert the police, but she was unable to save her life. Authorities are investigating the possibility that A learned of B's new address through court documents.
This incident is not the first case where victims of domestic violence have been exposed to severe crimes while attempting to separate or divorce. In June of last year, a man in his 60s killed his estranged wife just a week after a court-issued restraining order expired. The man had previously threatened his wife with a weapon, resulting in a 100-meter no-contact order that was extended twice for a total of six months. The victim had planned to visit the police station on the day of the incident to inquire about receiving a smartwatch and installing CCTV but was killed before she could do so.
A similar case occurred in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, in 2022, where a woman in her 40s, who had reported domestic violence four times, was killed by her husband, who was under a restraining order. Although she had been provided with a smartwatch, her husband violated the order and committed the crime. The prosecution later charged him with retaliatory murder.
Government research has confirmed that the period surrounding separation and divorce is a high-risk time for violence in intimate relationships. According to a domestic violence survey released by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in July, 50% of individuals who have experienced divorce, separation, or the end of cohabitation reported experiencing one or more forms of physical, sexual, economic, or emotional violence from their spouse or partner. The rate for women was 59.6%, significantly higher than the 14.4% lifetime victimization rate from current spouses or partners.
Stalking victimization rates around separation were also reported, with 29.1% of women and 18.9% of men experiencing such incidents. Notably, the rate of violence against women during separation increased from 54.5% in a 2022 survey to 59.6%.
Measures to prevent the exposure of crime victims' addresses to perpetrators during legal proceedings are already in place. A revised civil procedure law, effective July 12 of last year, allows courts to protect personal information, including addresses, from being disclosed to the opposing party if there is a risk to the life or physical safety of the parties involved. This protection extends to personal information such as social security numbers, phone numbers, and email addresses.
The Family Litigation Act also applies civil procedure laws to family law cases unless otherwise specified, allowing for similar protective measures in divorce proceedings.
The issue of address exposure has been raised even before the implementation of these measures. The National Assembly Legislative Research Service highlighted in a June report on strengthening the protection of crime victims' personal information in civil litigation that there may still be gaps where victims' addresses could be exposed during legal proceedings.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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